What do zombies have to do with Planet Earth? Everything! – according to game developers for The Last of Us. A segment of Planet Earth featured a parasitic fungus that takes over the brains of ants, protruding grotesquely from their heads. Sounds plenty sci-fi to me! Apparently there are thousands of these kinds of fungi, each of which can take over the brains of different species. And thus, The Last of Us was born.

Looking for a good puzzle game that won’t make your wallet scream in agony? Have we got the game for you! Trine 2 was released for Xbox Live on December 21st and the PlayStation Network on December 20th and is making waves among game critics.

The Xbox 360 arrived in 2005, the PS3 and Wii in 2006, the Wii MotionPlus in 2009, and the Kinect and PlayStation Move in 2010. Graphics and gameplay have achieved such an incredible quality that cut scenes often feel more like watching a movie than playing a game. Our current consoles are arguably still exploring their full potential, particularly due to recent developments like motion sensor controllers, body tracking, and facial/voice recognition capabilities. In some ways it seems somewhat premature to discuss the next PlayStation and Xbox systems, but it is also incredibly appealing to think of the possibilities that lie ahead…

There has been a certain stigma attached to video games as parents question their impact on children. However, more and more research has surfaced regarding the benefits of gaming, such as promoting a healthy diet, decreasing lazy eye in children, improving blurred vision for adults with amblyopia, and helping those with post-traumatic stress disorder. In recent years, video games started achieving new levels of validity – Symphonies around the world now perform music from video games. Parents are on board with video games that make kids get up and move around (Kinect, PlayStation Move, Wii Sports, DDR). More and more universities are integrating video game degrees, including the well-known New York University. So what impact does this changing outlook have on games?